Angela Clooney

"Hey Mom, I'm going to make TV when I grow up!" Even at age 10, I had a love for the visual storytelling aspect of television. Years later, that led me to Central Missouri State. I worked at the PBS station in Warrensburg, Missouri. We told stories that focused on people in the community. Once I picked up the video camera, I was hooked.

After college, during my first job interview, I told the news director at the ABC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri, that news could be videotaped in a creative way. She gave me a chance and hired me. Since then, I haven't stopped proving my point.

In 1996, I packed up my car and pulled a small U-Haul trailer from the Show Me State all the way to The Land of Enchantment. For almost five years, at KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, I told stories about New Mexicans and the issues that affected their lives. I also covered the International Balloon Fiesta and the Los Alamos wildfire. We covered the entire state of New Mexico, so there were many times we flew to a story via our news helicopter. During my time there, I flew in the helicopter so often that my assignment editor nicknamed me Sky Queen, which still makes me laugh. The mountains are so beautiful, but when I got the chance to be surrounded by palm trees and big water, I took it.

In January of 2001, I made the trek to the Sunshine State, all the while shedding layers of coats and sweaters to join the 10 News Team. Since then I have covered big events including multiple hurricanes, shuttle launches, the Buccaneers'Super Bowl victory in San Diego, and the Rays' run to the World Series. But it's the smaller scale stories that I love to tell, like the Bradenton boy who finally got back on his skateboard after a heart transplant.

Through the years, I have won several first place AP Awards and have five Emmy Awards. My goal is to make the viewer feel some kind of emotion when watching my stories.

If you have some time, take a look at some of my favorite stories I have photographed and edited here at WTSP-TV.